The aforesaid type of packaging begins with an endless sheet or length of the thermo-plastic sheet material (sometimes foil) and of proscribed width carried on a reel or spool. The sheet material is pre-printed with repetitive package designs featuring the same appropriate art/color scheme, identification of product, identification of proprietor, and ingredient identify and content, trademarks, logos, package weight, warnings, price coding, directions; all as relate to the plurality of individual, product-filled packages to be formed with the continuous length of sheet or film bearing repeated duplications of the foregoing information.
Each segment of length ultimately forming a package, of course, also includes an electric dye mark for automatically adjusting and correlating the speed of the elongate sheet or film to that of the speed of the product to be packaged and other associated machine elements which must operate in timed relationship and sequence to achieve the ultimate desired package having the design/art work and printed information in proper registration with respect to the crimp sealing between each item or amount of product as will be described.
The sheet material is continuously withdrawn and passed in a linear path through either a horizontal or vertical machine. In each case, the sheet material, by appropriate forming elements, is transformed into an oval or tube-like structure by bringing the marginal edges overlappingly together and sealed (lap or film) forming said oval envelope or tube. Simultaneously or continuously a properly measured amount, weight or number of comestible is introduced into the tube and thereafter, just downstream, the forward (or leading) edge/segment is crimp sealed between elongate reciprocating crimper bars or dies positioned transverse to the linear path of the packaging operation to thereby seal the package at the leading edge. The crimper bars or dies also include a cutter blade and anvil, in one or the other, to sever the sheet material to form individual packages. Further as the product and sheet material, in torus form, is continuously moved forward, a trailing edge crimp seal is imparted by the reciprocating crimper bars to hermetically seal the package and included product. Simultaneously a crimp heat seal is formed on the leading edge of the second package, which is being filled with product simultaneously in the manner described. The operation repeats continuously to form a plurality of individual packages which are desireably hermetically sealed to isolate comestible from the ambient conditions and accordingly extend shelf life during which comestible will remain in fresh/undeteriorated condition.